WHO WILL WIN?
Komodo Dragon
HISS-CHOMP
Koala
BELLOW-SNOOZE
THE SETUP

Komodo Dragon vs Koala

Komodo Dragon
Komodo Dragon
Koala
Koala

Pretend a komodo dragon and a koala meet in grassland. Look at the facts. Then you pick.

Would they meet?

Almost never. Their homes sit next to each other.

This is pretend and based on facts. Real animals usually hide or leave.

Read the facts. Make your card. The page waits to pick.

Corner A

Komodo Dragon

Varanus komodoensis · A walking dinosaur with a chemistry set.

Komodo Dragon
Home
Indonesian islands · Lives in Asia
Food
Meat
Group
Lives alone
Size
Komodo Dragon is medium.

Ambush lizard.

Tongue tastes the air.

Slow-looking predator.

  • Komodo Dragon is medium and not very fast.
  • Deer, pigs, water buffalo, even other dragons.
  • Hot, dry islands where a giant lizard can own the trail.

Family: Other monitor lizards.

Corner B

Koala

Phascolarctos cinereus · A sleepy specialist with surprising claws.

Koala
Home
Australian eucalyptus forest · Lives in Australia
Food
Plants
Group
Lives alone
Size
Koala is small.

Eucalyptus specialist.

A nose for the right leaves.

Low-energy by design.

  • Koala is small and slow.
  • Almost only eucalyptus.
  • They pick a tree, claim it, and treat the canopy like a studio apartment.

Family: Wombats.

TO SCALE!

SIZE & WEIGHT

Stand them next to a grown-up. Who is bigger and heavier?

1.70 m

Grown-up

0.50 m

Komodo Dragon to scale

Komodo Dragon

0.60 m

Koala to scale

Koala

Height to scale. A grown-up is 1.7 m.

Komodo Dragon80 kg

Longer than a bike, lower than a coffee table, heavier than a grown-up's suitcase.

Koala10 kg

About as heavy as a bowling ball that insists it is a teddy.

Komodo Dragon

0.50 m · 80 kg

Komodo Dragon is medium. 80 kg.

Koala

0.60 m · 10 kg

Koala is small. 10 kg.

Kilograms are honest. A small animal can still have a strong tool.

Who would you pick for size?

TOOLKIT!

TOOLS

Teeth, claws, horns, venom, kick — what tools do they have?

  • Weapon: Venom-slick bite
  • Armor: Osteoderm chainmail
  • Senses: Tongue tastes the air.

Komodo Dragon · labeled field diagram

  • Weapon: Tree-hook claws
  • Armor: Fluffy indifference
  • Senses: A nose for the right leaves.

Koala · labeled field diagram

Komodo Dragon600 psi bite
Koala100 psi bite

Komodo Dragon

Venom-slick bite

Tool: venom-slick bite. Bite: 600 psi.

Koala

Tree-hook claws

Tool: tree-hook claws. Bite: 100 psi.

A bite number is only one tool. Coils and kicks count too.

Whose tools would you trust?

ZOOM!

SPEED

Who gets there first?

Komodo Dragon
20 km/h
Koala
10 km/h
Komodo Dragon20 km/h
Koala10 km/h

Komodo Dragon

20 km/h

Komodo Dragon can go 20 km/h. That is not very fast.

Koala

10 km/h

Koala can go 10 km/h. That is slow.

A fast animal can miss. A slow one only has to connect.

Who takes the speed card?

HOME MAP!

HOME

They meet in grassland. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
Komodo DragonKoalaBoth

Meeting biome: grassland. Colored land is where each animal actually lives.

Komodo Dragon

This is home · Lives in Asia

Komodo Dragon lives in places like grassland.

Koala

Can handle it · Lives in Australia

Koala's home is the australian eucalyptus forest, not grassland.

Almost never. Their homes sit next to each other.

Who gets the home point?

MENU!

FOOD

How do they get lunch?

Komodo Dragon
Meat · Ambush lizard.
Koala
Plants · Eucalyptus specialist.

Komodo Dragon

Meat · Ambush lizard.

Deer, pigs, water buffalo, even other dragons.

Koala

Plants · Eucalyptus specialist.

Almost only eucalyptus.

A plant eater is not 'safe.' Hippos and elephants still end arguments.

Whose hunting or defending helps more?

MOOD!

MOOD

Alone vs team. This rumble is one vs one.

Komodo Dragon
Lives alone
Koala
Lives alone
Komodo Dragon8 grit /10
Koala3 grit /10

Komodo Dragon

Lives alone

Slow-looking predator. Grit: 8/10.

Koala

Lives alone

Low-energy by design. Grit: 3/10.

Pack and pride animals lose their backup in a 1-v-1.

Who is better for a solo meeting?

PING!

BRAINS

Who notices first and thinks next?

Komodo Dragon
4/10
Koala
4/10
Komodo Dragon4 brains /10
Koala4 brains /10

Komodo Dragon

4/10

Tongue tastes the air.

Koala

4/10

A nose for the right leaves.

In the wild, brains often mean leave before it starts.

Who would you score for noticing?

COUSINS!

FAMILY

Who are they related to?

Komodo Dragon
Varanus komodoensis
Koala
Phascolarctos cinereus

Komodo Dragon

Varanus komodoensis

Other monitor lizards.

Koala

Phascolarctos cinereus

Wombats.

Cousins are clues, not a score.

Not a fight point. Who has the wilder family story?

WILD CARD!

SPECIAL

What special move did they evolve?

Komodo Dragon
Patient Island Ambush
Koala
Eucalyptus Power Nap

Komodo Dragon

Patient Island Ambush

They wait.

Koala

Eucalyptus Power Nap

Koalas sleep up to 18 hours.

A secret move here is a real wild tool, not a video-game combo.

Whose special move would change the meeting?

YOUR SCORECARD

Your scorecard

Tap who has each fact. Then tap who you think wins.

  • SIZE & WEIGHT

  • TOOLS

  • SPEED

  • HOME

  • FOOD

  • MOOD

  • BRAINS

  • SPECIAL

Your card: Komodo Dragon 0 · Koala 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

Keep going for the pretend meeting, then the science pick.

WHAM!

THEY MEET

Komodo Dragon runs first. Koala does not race. They wait in grassland.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

WHOOSH!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Komodo Dragon is heavier. Koala uses tree-hook claws. Nobody is keeping a gore score.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

ZING!

SPECIAL MOVES

Komodo Dragon tries the Patient Island Ambush. Koala tries the Eucalyptus Power Nap. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Komodo Dragon!

A STOMP

You skipped a final pick. The facts still stamp a champ.

On grassland, Komodo Dragon wins. Komodo Dragon likes grassland more. Koala would still win some meetings at home.

In the wild, most animals skip a fight. We still judge who the bodies and the place would favor.

Science card: Komodo Dragon 7 · Koala 0 · ties 1.

Your card: Komodo Dragon 0 · Koala 0.

The last page follows the whole animal — body plus home — not one bar chart.

Send this fight

A friend can read the same facts.

Victory lap · Komodo Dragon

Dragon walk. Tongue out. Homework done.

Wikimedia Commons · CC. Source

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